Relay based header compression

ABSTRACT

Relays can be used to facilitate communication of a packet, such as from a base station to a mobile device. The packet can include a header that designates an intended destination for the packet. The header can transfer such that the intended destination designation can be sent with or without being decompressed at a relay. If there is more than one relay involved in communication, then the header can configure such that the header is accessible without performing decompression. However, if there is one relay stop, then the header can compress the designator in such a way that decompression should occur.

CROSS-REFERENCE

This application claims priority to U.S. application No. 61/024,741entitled “Compression Protocol for a Mesh Network”, which was filed onJan. 30, 2008. The entirety of which is herein incorporated byreference.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

The following description relates generally to wireless communicationsand, more particularly, to determining a compression manner for a packetheader based upon relay travel.

2. Background

Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide varioustypes of communication content such as, for example, voice, data, and soon. Typical wireless communication systems can be multiple-accesssystems capable of supporting communication with multiple users bysharing available system resources (e.g., bandwidth, transmit power, . .. ). Examples of such multiple-access systems can include code divisionmultiple access (CDMA) systems, time division multiple access (TDMA)systems, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) systems, orthogonalfrequency division multiple access (OFDMA) systems, and the like.

Generally, wireless multiple-access communication systems cansimultaneously support communication for multiple mobile devices. Eachmobile device can communicate with one or more base stations viatransmissions on forward and reverse links. The forward link (ordownlink) refers to the communication link from base stations to mobiledevices, and the reverse link (or uplink) refers to the communicationlink from mobile devices to base stations. Further, communicationsbetween mobile devices and base stations can be established viasingle-input single-output (SISO) systems, multiple-input single-output(MISO) systems, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems, and soforth.

A relay can be used in transmission of information between the basestation and the mobile device. A base station can have a number ofdifferent relays that function to assist in information transmission.For instance, when the base station transmits information to the mobiledevice, a relay can be employed to keep integrity of the informationsuch that there is not information loss through travelling over arelatively long distance.

In some configurations, more than one relay can be employed to assist ininformation transmission. A packet of information for transfer canincorporate a header that includes destination information. To savespace, compression techniques can be used on the packet header, suchthat the destination information is compressed—to evaluate thedestination information, the header is decompressed. Thus, at each relaystop, the header can be decompressed, evaluated, recompressed, and thentransferred to another relay or destination. This can become a resourceintensive process and relatively time consuming since decompressionoccurs at each relay stop.

SUMMARY

The following presents a simplified summary of one or more aspects inorder to provide a basic understanding of such aspects. This summary isnot an extensive overview of all contemplated aspects, and is intendedto neither identify key or critical elements of all aspects nordelineate the scope of any or all aspects. Its sole purpose is topresent some concepts of one or more aspects in a simplified form as aprelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.

In one aspect, there can be a method for managing compression of aheader of a packet executable upon a wireless communication device. Themethod can include identifying that header compression should occur forthe packet as well as determining a manner of compression for thepacket, wherein the manner is based upon a number of relay transfers forthe packet to reach an intended destination.

With a further aspect, there can be an apparatus with an evaluationmodule that header compression should occur for the packet as well aswith a selection module that determines a manner of compression for thepacket, wherein the manner is based upon a number of relay transfers forthe packet to reach an intended destination.

Another aspect can include at least one processor configured to managingcompression of a header of a packet. The processor can incorporate afirst module for identifying that header compression should occur forthe packet. A second module can also be incorporated with the processorfor determining a manner of compression for the packet, wherein themanner is based upon a number of relay transfers for the packet to reachan intended destination.

In yet a further aspect, there can be a computer program product,comprising a computer-readable medium. The medium can incorporate afirst set of codes for causing a computer to identify that headercompression should occur for the packet. A second set of codes can beincorporated for causing the computer to determine a manner ofcompression for the packet, wherein the manner is based upon a number ofrelay transfers for the packet to reach an intended destination.

With yet one more aspect, there can be an apparatus with means foridentifying that header compression should occur for the packet. Theapparatus can also be with means for determining a manner of compressionfor the packet, wherein the manner is based upon a number of relaytransfers for the packet to reach an intended destination.

In one aspect, there can be a method for processing a packet executableupon a wireless communication device. The method can include evaluatinga packet header portion that includes a destination identifier as wellas determining an intended relay or intended destination for the packetbased on at least a portion of the destination identifier.

With a further aspect, there can be an apparatus that uses an analysismodule that evaluates a packet header portion that comprises adestination identifier. The apparatus can also use a location modulethat determines an intended relay or intended destination for the packetbased on at least a portion of the destination identifier.

Another aspect can include at least on processor configured to process apacket with a first module for evaluating a packet header portion thatincludes a destination identifier. The processor can also process thepacket with a second module for determining an intended relay intendedrelay or intended destination for the packet based on at least a portionof the destination identifier.

In yet a further aspect, there can be a computer program product thatincludes a computer-readable medium. The medium can include a first setof codes for causing a computer to evaluate a packet header portion thatincludes a destination identifier. Also, the medium can include a secondset of codes for causing the computer to determining an intended relayor intended destination for the packet based on at least a portion ofthe destination identifier.

With yet one more aspect, there can be an apparatus with means forevaluating a packet header portion that includes a destinationidentifier as well as with means for determining an intended relay orintended destination for the packet based on at least a portion of thedestination identifier.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the one or moreaspects comprise the features hereinafter fully described andparticularly pointed out in the claims. The following description andthe annexed drawings set forth in detail certain illustrative featuresof the one or more aspects. These features are indicative, however, ofbut a few of the various ways in which the principles of various aspectscan be employed, and this description is intended to include all suchaspects and their equivalents.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an illustration of a wireless communication system inaccordance with various aspects set forth herein.

FIG. 2 is an illustration of a representative system with a relaycluster in accordance with at least one aspect disclosed herein.

FIG. 3 is an illustration of a representative User DatagramProtocol/Internet Protocol compression scheme in accordance with atleast one aspect disclosed herein.

FIG. 4 is an illustration of a representative Layer 2 Tunneling ProtocolVersion 3/Internet Protocol compression scheme in accordance with atleast one aspect disclosed herein.

FIG. 5 is an illustration of a representative User DatagramProtocol/Internet Protocol compression scheme in accordance with atleast one aspect disclosed herein.

FIG. 6 is an illustration of a representative Layer 2 Tunneling ProtocolVersion 3/Internet Protocol compression scheme in accordance with atleast one aspect disclosed herein.

FIG. 7 is an illustration of a representative data header format inaccordance with at least one aspect disclosed herein.

FIG. 8 is an illustration of a representative communicationconfiguration in accordance with at least one aspect disclosed herein.

FIG. 9 is an illustration of a representative system for processing apacket in relation to a relay in accordance with at least one aspectdisclosed herein.

FIG. 10 is an illustration of a representative system for processing apacket in relation to a relay with a detailed preparation module inaccordance with at least one aspect disclosed herein.

FIG. 11 is an illustration of a representative system for processing apacket in relation to a relay with a detailed processing module inaccordance with at least one aspect disclosed herein.

FIG. 12 is an illustration of a representative methodology forperforming compression in accordance with at least one aspect disclosedherein.

FIG. 13 is an illustration of a representative methodology fortransferring a packet to a relay in accordance with at least one aspectdisclosed herein.

FIG. 14 is an illustration of a representative methodology forprocessing a packet at a relay in accordance with at least one aspectdisclosed herein.

FIG. 15 is an illustration of an example mobile device that facilitatesprocessing of a packet in relation to a relay in accordance with atleast one aspect disclosed herein.

FIG. 16 is an illustration of an example system that facilitatespreparation of a packet for transfer in accordance with at least oneaspect disclosed herein.

FIG. 17 is an illustration of an example wireless network environmentthat can be employed in conjunction with the various systems and methodsdescribed herein.

FIG. 18 is an illustration of an example system that prepares a packetfor transmission in accordance with at least one aspect disclosedherein.

FIG. 19 is an illustration of an example system that processestransferred information in accordance with at least one aspect disclosedherein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various aspects are now described with reference to the drawings,wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elementsthroughout. In the following description, for purposes of explanation,numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding of one or more aspects. It can be evident, however, thatsuch aspect(s) can be practiced without these specific details. In otherinstances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagramform in order to facilitate describing one or more embodiments.

As used in this application, the terms “component,” “module,” “system”and the like are intended to include a computer-related entity, such asbut not limited to hardware, firmware, a combination of hardware andsoftware, software, or software in execution. For example, a componentcan be, but is not limited to being, a process running on a processor, aprocessor, an object, an executable, a thread of execution, a program,and/or a computer. By way of illustration, both an application runningon a computing device and the computing device can be a component. Oneor more components can reside within a process and/or thread ofexecution and a component can be localized on one computer and/ordistributed between two or more computers. In addition, these componentscan execute from various computer readable media having various datastructures stored thereon. The components can communicate by way oflocal and/or remote processes such as in accordance with a signal havingone or more data packets, such as data from one component interactingwith another component in a local system, distributed system, and/oracross a network such as the Internet with other systems by way of thesignal.

Furthermore, various aspects are described herein in connection with aterminal, which can be a wired terminal or a wireless terminal. Aterminal can also be called a system, device, subscriber unit,subscriber station, mobile station, mobile, mobile device, remotestation, remote terminal, access terminal, user terminal, terminal,communication device, user agent, user device, or user equipment (UE). Awireless terminal can be a cellular telephone, a satellite phone, acordless telephone, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, awireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA), ahandheld device having wireless connection capability, a computingdevice, or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem.Moreover, various aspects are described herein in connection with a basestation. A base station can be utilized for communicating with wirelessterminal(s) and can also be referred to as an access point, a Node B, orsome other terminology.

Moreover, the term “or” is intended to mean an inclusive “or” ratherthan an exclusive “or.” That is, unless specified otherwise, or clearfrom the context, the phrase “X employs A or B” is intended to mean anyof the natural inclusive permutations. That is, the phrase “X employs Aor B” is satisfied by any of the following instances: X employs A; Xemploys B; or X employs both A and B. In addition, the articles “a” and“an” as used in this application and the appended claims shouldgenerally be construed to mean “one or more” unless specified otherwiseor clear from the context to be directed to a singular form.

Moreover, various aspects or features described herein can beimplemented as a method, apparatus, or article of manufacture usingstandard programming and/or engineering techniques. The term “article ofmanufacture” as used herein is intended to encompass a computer programaccessible from any computer-readable device, carrier, or media. Forexample, computer-readable media can include but are not limited tomagnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disk, floppy disk, magnetic strips,etc.), optical disks (e.g., compact disk (CD), digital versatile disk(DVD), etc.), smart cards, and flash memory devices (e.g., EPROM, card,stick, key drive, etc.). Additionally, various storage media describedherein can represent one or more devices and/or other machine-readablemedia for storing information. The term “machine-readable medium” caninclude, without being limited to, wireless channels and various othermedia capable of storing, containing, and/or carrying instruction(s)and/or data.

The techniques described herein can be used for various wirelesscommunication systems such as CDMA, TDMA, FDMA, OFDMA, SC-FDMA and othersystems. The terms “system” and “network” are often usedinterchangeably. A CDMA system can implement a radio technology such asUniversal Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), cdma2000, etc. UTRA includesWideband-CDMA (W-CDMA) and other variants of CDMA. Further, cdma2000covers IS-2000, IS-95 and IS-856 standards. A TDMA system can implementa radio technology such as Global System for Mobile Communications(GSM). An OFDMA system can implement a radio technology such as EvolvedUTRA (E-UTRA), Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20, Flash-OFDME, etc. UTRA and E-UTRA are partof Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS). 3GPP Long TermEvolution (LTE) is a release of UMTS that uses E-UTRA, which employsOFDMA on the downlink and SC-FDMA on the uplink. UTRA, E-UTRA, UMTS, LTEand GSM are described in documents from an organization named “3rdGeneration Partnership Project” (3GPP). Additionally, cdma2000 and UMBare described in documents from an organization named “3rd GenerationPartnership Project 2” (3GPP2). Further, such wireless communicationsystems can additionally include peer-to-peer (e.g., mobile-to-mobile)ad hoc network systems often using unpaired unlicensed spectrums, 802.xxwireless LAN, BLUETOOTH and any other short- or long-range, wirelesscommunication techniques.

Various aspects or features will be presented in terms of systems thatcan include a number of devices, components, modules, and the like. Itis to be understood and appreciated that the various systems can includeadditional devices, components, modules, etc. and/or can not include allof the devices, components, modules etc. discussed in connection withthe figures. A combination of these approaches can also be used.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a wireless communication system 100 isillustrated in accordance with various embodiments presented herein.System 100 comprises a base station 102 that can include multipleantenna groups. For example, one antenna group can include antennas 104and 106, another group can comprise antennas 108 and 110, and anadditional group can include antennas 112 and 114. Two antennas areillustrated for each antenna group; however, more or fewer antennas canbe utilized for each group. Base station 102 can additionally include atransmitter chain and a receiver chain, each of which can in turncomprise a plurality of components associated with signal transmissionand reception (e.g., processors, modulators, multiplexers, demodulators,demultiplexers, antennas, etc.), as will be appreciated by one skilledin the art.

Base station 102 can communicate with one or more access terminals suchas access terminal 116 and access terminal 122; however, it is to beappreciated that base station 102 can communicate with substantially anynumber of access terminals similar to access terminals 116 and 122.Access terminals 116 and 122 can be, for example, cellular phones, smartphones, laptops, handheld communication devices, handheld computingdevices, satellite radios, global positioning systems, PDAs, and/or anyother suitable device for communicating over wireless communicationsystem 100. As depicted, access terminal 116 is in communication withantennas 112 and 114, where antennas 112 and 114 transmit information toaccess terminal 116 over a forward link 118 and receive information fromaccess terminal 116 over a reverse link 120. Moreover, access terminal122 is in communication with antennas 104 and 106, where antennas 104and 106 transmit information to access terminal 122 over a forward link124 and receive information from access terminal 122 over a reverse link126. In a frequency division duplex (FDD) system, forward link 118 canutilize a different frequency band than that used by reverse link 120,and forward link 124 can employ a different frequency band than thatemployed by reverse link 126, for example. Further, in a time divisionduplex (TDD) system, forward link 118 and reverse link 120 can utilize acommon frequency band and forward link 124 and reverse link 126 canutilize a common frequency band.

The set of antennas and/or the area in which they are designated tocommunicate can be referred to as a sector of base station 102. Forexample, multiple antennas can be designed to communicate to accessterminals in a sector of the areas covered by base station 102. Incommunication over forward links 118 and 124, the transmitting antennasof base station 102 can utilize beamforming to improve signal-to-noiseratio of forward links 118 and 124 for access terminals 116 and 122.Also, while base station 102 utilizes beamforming to transmit to accessterminals 116 and 122 scattered randomly through an associated coverage,access terminals in neighboring cells can be subject to lessinterference as compared to a base station transmitting through a singleantenna to all its access terminals.

A relay 128 can be employed to transmit information from the accessterminal 116 or 122 to the base station 102 and Vice Versa. Adetermination can be made if a relay should be employed and if so, thena packet header can be compressed between the relay 128 and the basestation 102. On the uplink, the access terminal 116 or 122 can transmitthe packet (with the header) to the relay 128—the relay can determinewhere to send the packet (e.g., to another relay, to the base station102, etc.) and perform a transfer accordingly. On the downlink, the basestation 102 can transmit the packet (with the header) to the relay128—the relay can determine where to send the packet (e.g., to anotherrelay, to the access terminal 116 or 122, etc.) and perform a transferaccordingly. In one implementation, once the relay forwards the packet,an acknowledgement can transfer to the base station 102 on the downlinkand the access terminal 116 or 124 on the uplink on the status of theforwarding (e.g., to where the forwarding takes place, if there are anyerrors, and the like). While being depicted as used in access terminalto base station, it is to be appreciated that a relay can be used inaccess terminal to access terminal communication, as well as in otherimplementations. Relays can organize into a cluster, which can be agroup of relays that service a base station.

Now referring to FIG. 2, an example system 200 is shown for a wirelesscommunication network configuration. In such a network, information thattransfers from one location to another can be assisted by relays. Theinformation is emitted from a source 202 to a destination 204. A relaycan appear as an access terminal to a base station (e.g., the linkbetween the base station and the relay is managed in a same manner as alink is managed between the base station and an access terminal), andappear as a base station to terminals in which the relay communicateswith (e.g., access terminal interprets the relay as just another basestation which happens to have a wireless backhaul). Therefore, when thesource 202 sends information, the information can actually travel to arelay 206 while the source 202 believes information is sent to thedestination 204. This can facilitate the access terminal connecting withthe relay as with a base station and the base station connecting with arelay as with an access terminal (e.g., a base station or accessterminal can be unaware that communication is with a relay).

A source 202 (e.g., base station, mobile device, access terminal, etc.)can desire to send information to a destination 204 (e.g., base station,mobile device, access terminal, etc.). A number of relays, such asrelays 206, 208, and 210, connect with one base station to function as acluster—in one implementation, the cluster includes an associated basestation. It is possible for a relay to belong to multiple clusters aswell as for a relay to be exclusive to a cluster.

To reach a destination, a multi-hop transfer (e.g., source 202 to relay206 then to relay 208, and finally to destination 204) can be employed.However, a single hop can take place such that there is only onetransfer across travel (e.g., source 202 to relay 210 to destination204). A communication network can be evaluated to determine how theinformation can reach the destination 204 from the source 202 and selecta travel route with at least one relay. Depending on the outcome of aselection, single hop or multi-hop based compression of the informationcan occur.

Initially, a check can take place to determine if compression of thepacket (e.g., of a header of the packet) should occur—this can beregardless of a number of hops for travel. If it is determined thatcompression should occur, then different compression can take placedepending on if there is a multi-hop or single hop travel route. Ifthere are multiple hops, then compression can occur such thatdestination information can be evaluated by a relay without performingdecompression. It is desirable to minimize processing to enable performquick forwarding at the relay. Since performing decompression andrecompressing information takes a relatively long time, operation can befaster if these actions are not required to occur. Therefore, headercompression can occur in such a manner that does not requiredecompression (e.g., the compressed header can be evaluated and anintended destination can be determined without decompression).

However, a final relay commonly decompresses a header in relation totransferring the packet to the destination (e.g., access terminal). Ifthere is one relay, then decompression can automatically occur thereforethere is no need to compress a header in a manner that allows data to beevaluated without decompression. Moreover, if there is only one hop thatoccurs, then the header can be compressed without routing information(e.g., since there are no further relay hops).

There can be a number of different functions that can be performed by arelay to assist operation of a communication network. For example, therecan be support for forwarding access terminal packets—the packets can bepassed along a backhaul and arrive at an appropriate access terminal.Thus, there can be support for forwarding of packets from a core networkto an access terminal and from the access terminal to the core network.With another function, there can be control packets related to managingthe access terminal by base stations and other relay stations (e.g.,handover indications) that are processed.

There can be a further functionality that uses an Relay Protocol—theRelay Protocol can be split into two different protocols: a compressionprotocol (e.g., IOS (Interoperability Specification) CompressionProtocol (ICP)) and a management protocol (e.g., Relay ManagementProtocol (RMP)). The ICP and RMP can be used at just below the transportlayer to support relay operation. The compression protocol compressespacket headers on the backhaul (e.g., not payloads) while the managementprotocol handles routing operations in the backhaul for the packet.Thus, there can be independent hop-by-hop support in a relay cluster forthe link layer air interface functions (e.g., security, fragmentationand reassembly of packets, etc.). The ICP can provide compression ofUDP/IP (User Datagram Protocol/Internet Protocol) or L2TPv3/IP (Layer 2Tunneling Protocol Version 3/Internet Protocol) headers of IOS packets.

Different interfaces can be used regarding operation of a relay. Oneinterface can be used for sending signaling or session/paginginformation among network entities. Also, if an access terminal performsa handover from one base station to another, then an interface can beused to ensure that data packets that have not been delivered to theaccess terminal as well as access terminal state and control informationis properly transmitted. If packet portions can be transmitted, (e.g.fragments of IP packets), then a specific interface can also be used tocommunicate those portions.

Now referring to FIG. 3, an example packet configuration 300 is shownsuch that a packet is compressed so that there can be routing of apacket at each hop of a multi-hop configuration with a Destination(Dest) Relay (RS) Identification (ID) 302. An IOS identifier (IOS ID)304 field indicates the interface and UDP destination port for thatinterface. For example, the interface that signals session and paginginformation can use a defined IOS ID, while the interface that managesthe access terminal mobility can use a different IOS ID. The Source andDestination Relay (RS) Identification (ID), 306 and 302 respectively,identify the base station or relay station source and destination of thecompressed header in the cluster respectively. These identifiers areequivalent for example to a source and destination IP address forrouting. A Traffic Class 308 is for example the DSCP equivalent for QoSon the wireless backhaul and is used to indicate what prioritization,and service level the packet should receive. The header can becompressed while still easily presenting the Dest RS ID 302 and at eachhop there can be an evaluation of the Dest RS ID 302. The Dest RS ID 302can be uncompressed as well as compressed in a manner that still allowsan intended destination to be determined without decompression. Thus,without performing decompression, there can be a determination made onan intended destination for a packet (e.g., performed at each hop). Forexample, the Dest RS ID 302 could be the destination IP address of therelay from an IP header 310. As another example, the Dest RS ID 302could be a compressed version of the destination IP address of the relayfrom the IP header 310, wherein the Relay Management Protocol manageshow the compressed Dest RS ID 302 is assigned to each relay and how thisinformation is propagated to each relay in the cluster if necessary.Thus, while at least a portion of a header can be compressed, a portioncan be uncompressed such that there is not a need for decompression(e.g., any decompression, full decompression, etc.) at individualrelays—thus saving processing time and quickening transfer of packets.However, decompression can occur if needed, such as at an endpoint(e.g., a relay before transferring to an access terminal).

There can be mapping of headers from an Internet Protocol (IP) to an IOSCompression Protocol (ICP). For instance, an IP header 310 field caninclude Type of Service and Traffic Class. An ICP common header fieldthat maps to that IP header field can be Traffic Class, where the ICPuses the field to communicate Quality of Service information when thereare more than two relay transfers. Thus, if there are more than tworelay transfers, then there can be mapping of the Type of Service andTraffic Class into the ICP Traffic Class field—if there are less thantwo hops, the IP header field can be compressed since there is no needfor the information. Moreover, a source IP address and Destination IPaddress can map to a Source RS ID 306 and destination RS ID 302 ICPcommon header field respectively. Additionally, a source and destinationidentification can be compressed into one field in one embodiment. Inaddition IP header fields such as Total Length, Time To Live, Protocol,Header Check Sum, Version, etc. can be compressed since there is no needfor the information since the cluster is not routing using this IPheader information. The configuration 300 can include a UDP Header 312that can compress into a source port 314 as well as a IOS packet 316

Now referring to FIG. 4, an example packet configuration 400 is shownfor having a sub layer header that can be evaluated by a base station todetermine an intended access terminal. There can be a reservation labelin a header to determine which stream or radio bearer a packet belongsfor delivering the packet to the access terminal. There can be a numberof streams (e.g., radio bearers in LTE) upon which information cantravel. For example, voice can travel on one stream while signalingtravels upon a different stream. In addition to a stream, there can be aMobile Key that can be used to determine an intended destination (e.g.,access terminal, user equipment, etc.). For example, the base stationcan receive packets for an access terminal in a layer 2 tunnel sent byan access gateway. The base station does not use the IP address of thepacket to determine which access terminal is the intended destination,rather, the access gateway includes and Mobile Key in the layer 2 tunnelheader 402 that is used by the base station to determine the accessterminal. Based upon a Mobile Key and an IP address of the accessgateway that sent the packet, a determination can be made on whichaccess terminal is an intended destination and upon which stream totransfer the packet. Thus, there can be an IP header 310 that convertsto a source RS ID, Dest RS ID, and/or traffic class. As another example,a TEID (tunnel endpoint identifier) can be used to indicate an intendedrelay, access terminal, and radio bearer for a packet, i.e., the TEIDincludes both the stream or reservation label and the access terminal asa single identifier. There can be two identifiers in the packet: anintended destination and which stream the packet should travel whenbeing delivered to the intended destination or a single identifier thatincludes the intended destination and which stream the packet shouldtravel when being delivered to the intended destination.

L2TPv3 Sub-layer Header 404 Fields can also be compressed into ICPheader fields (e.g., interface specific header 406). For instance, theIP Address of the access gateway, the Mobile Key, as well as anidentifier for the access terminal can be compressed into an AT IDfield. In an alternate embodiment, the destination relay, accessterminal and stream to use are contained in a single identifier. Forexample, the single identifier can be split in three separate fieldswherein a portion of the identifier corresponds to the destinationrelay, a portion corresponds to the access terminal and a portioncorresponds to the stream, or a base station tracks the identifier as awhole and packets are routed or delivered to the intended destinationbased on the whole identifier. In addition, there can be instances wheremapping does not need to occur and a field can go unused—for instance,if there is one-to-one mapping, then some identifiers can be left out.The configuration 400 can also include an IOS ID 304 as well as an IOSpacket 316.

With FIG. 5, an example packet configuration 500 is disclosed that caneliminate routing information with UDP/IP Short Header Mapping. Theconfiguration 500 can include an IP header 310, UDP Header 312, IOSPacket 316, IOS ID 304, and/or a Source Port 314. Likewise, FIG. 6 showsan example packet configuration 600 for an L2TPv3/IP for Short HeaderMapping. If there is only one hop that occurs, then there can be aheader without routing information since a packet is sent directly to anaccess terminal from a first relay. For example, an IP header 310 can becompressed entirely. A check can be performed to determine if there isone relay transfer or more than one relay transfer. If there is morethan one, then routing information can be included in the header;however, if there is one relay transfer, then a header can be usedwithout routing information. The configuration 600 can also include aLevel 2 Header 402, Level 2 Sub-layer Header 404, IOS ID 304, InterfaceSpecific Header 406, and/or IOS Packet 316.

Referring now to FIG. 7, an example data header format 700 is disclosedfor a compressed ICP header of an IPT header. The IPT header isassociated with an IP Tunneling) Interface that carries signalingmessages to notify and redirect tunneled traffic based on accessterminal mobility. As an example the IPT interface encapsulates tunneledIP packets to be transmitted between base stations or relay stations foran access terminal. An ATID (Access Terminal Identifier) 702 can be acompressed AT identifier (ATI) used by IOS Compression Protocol. Thiscan be equivalent to ATI, or the IP address of the access gateway andthe Mobile Key. ATID can be a compressed AT identifier used by the IOSCompression Protocol. On the down link, ATID is used at the relay todetermine the destination access terminal. Moreover, on the uplink, ATIDcan be used by a base station to determine a source access terminal.

It is possible that each access terminal has a unique ATID in a clusterand ATID is assigned by the base station when the access terminal cantransmit to the base station and a relay in the cluster. An accessterminal commonly does not know its own ATID and does not use the ATID.All relays in the cluster with a route to the access terminal can usethe same ATID and all relays with a route in the cluster to a relay canalso be assigned an ATID. The format 700 can also include metadatapertaining to version 704, reservation included 706, direction 708, TTL(Time to Live) 710, FLSE (Forward Link Servicing eBS) Forwarded 712, DAP(Directory Access Protocol) Counting module 714, or reservation label716.

Now referring to FIG. 8, there is an example system 800 showing RS2(relay 2) 802 communicating with a base station 804 (e.g., evolved basestation (eBS)) through RS1 (relay 1) 806. RS2 can establish acommunication link to RS1 and is assigned both an ATID and a RSID by thebase station (eBS). RS2 can know its own RSID for processing packets butnot its ATID and RS1 can know both the ATID and RSID and that both arefor RS2. Relay stations in a cluster can have the RSID of RS2 to send orforward packets to RS2. IP packets for RS2 can be sent to or from RS1using the ATID. Also, RS1 can add or remove the IOS Compression Protocolheader and then forward the packet upstream or downstream respectively.IP packets of RS2 as a base station can be sent to or from RS2 using theRSID and RS1 can forward the packet as is upstream or downstream.

Referring now to FIG. 9, an example system 900 is disclosed forprocessing relay operation in a wireless communication configuration. Apreparation module 902 can organize a packet for communication (e.g.,along the backhaul) including adding or compressing a header to thepacket while a processing module 904 determines where to transfer apacket. An evaluation module 906 can identify if header compression(e.g., lossy compression, lossless compression, etc.) should occur,commonly, as a function of how many relay transfers are appropriate forthe packet to reach an intended destination, or for example if one ormore than one relay transfer is needed for the packet to reach anintended destination.

If the evaluation module 906 identifies that compression asinappropriate, then the packet can be sent in an uncompressed format.However, if compression should occur, then a selection module 908 candetermine a manner for compression based upon a number of relaytransfers for packet communication to the intended destination. Thenumber of relay transfers can be an actual number (e.g., a positiveinteger) as well as a classification (e.g., no transfers, one transfer,or more than one transfer)—thus an actual number does not need to bedetermined. For example, if there is more than one relay transfer, thencompression can occur in a manner that makes a destinationidentification accessible without performing decompression of at least aportion of the header. The preparation module 902 and/or processingmodule 904 can function upon a mobile device, access terminal, basestation, relay, third-party device, etc.

For example, the preparation module 902 can function on a base stationand the packet can be forwarded to a relay that includes the processingmodule 904. The processing module 904 can include an analysis module 910that evaluates a packet header portion that comprises a destinationidentifier (e.g., a stream that should be used to communicate thepacket, an access terminal or relay that is the destination of thepacket, etc.). The destination identifier can comprise one or moreseparate fields, for example a separate stream identifier, an accessterminal identifier and a relay identifier. Alternately, the destinationidentifier can comprise a single field with the stream identifier,access terminal identifier or relay identifier embedded in theidentifier in some instances. For example, the single identifier can besplit in three separate fields at a cluster wherein a portion of theidentifier corresponds to the destination relay, a portion correspondsto the access terminal and a portion corresponds to the stream, or abase station or relay can track the destination identifier as a singlefield and packets are routed or delivered to the intended destinationbased on the whole identifier. A location module 912 can be employed todetermine an intended relay for the packet based on a portion of thedestination identifier. In addition to determining an intended relay, anintended destination, source of the packet, and other metadata can bedetermined.

Now referring to FIG. 10, an example system 1000 is shown with adetailed preparation module 902 (e.g., with evaluation module 906 andselection module 908) for processing of a packet in relation to a relay.An encoding module 1002 can be used that compresses the header in thedetermined manner (e.g., with destination information compressed withouta need to decompress to determine a location). According to oneembodiment, a portion of the header that is compressed is an InternetProtocol (IP) header.

A calculation module 1004 can be used that determines a number of relaytransfers the packet should experience to reach the intendeddestination. The determined manner can be based upon a determined numberof relay transfers (e.g., one, more than one, etc.). If it is determinedthat there is more than one relay transfer, then encoding module 1002can compress the header of the packet in a manner that makes adestination identification accessible without performing decompressionof at least a portion of the header. Conversely, if it is determinedthere is one relay transfer to reach the intended destination, then theencoding module 1002 can compress the header of the packet in a mannersuch that there is not inclusion of routing or transfer information inthe compressed header.

The calculation module 1004 can include a read module 1006 thatdetermines the intended destination based on the header of the packet. Abalance module 1008 can determine whether more than one relay transferis required to reach the intended destination. For example, acommunication network can be evaluated and a shortest path to an accessterminal with minimal loss in packet quality can be tracked. As anotherexample, it can only be known whether the access terminal is one hop ormore than hop downstream and the next hop to reach the access terminal.Based upon the evaluation, a determination can be made on how to reachthe access terminals and how many relay transfers occur to reach theaccess terminal. An examination module 1010 (e.g., part of the readmodule 1006, an independent unit, etc.) can determine a relay serving anaccess terminal that is the intended destination based on the packetheader. The compressed packet can be evaluated and operated upon by theprocessing module 904 and transferred to a relay.

Now referring to FIG. 11, an example system 1000 is disclosed for use ofrelays in communication of information, such as backhaul transfer. Apreparation module 902 can prepare a header for use with a relay,including adding an appropriately compressed header of a packet. Aprocessing module 904 (e.g., with analysis module 910 and locator 912)can perform routing operation upon a packet.

A destination identifier can be a valuable assent in transferring of thepacket. According to one embodiment, the destination identifier is atunnel endpoint identifier (TEID) and can also indicate a desiredQuality of Service for the packet. For example, the TEID can map to aradio bearer that is used to transfer packets of a particular serviceclass and QoS between an access terminal and a base station. A portionof a header for the packet can include a relay station identifier and/oran access terminal identifier (e.g., that is unique to a relay cluster)for an access terminal. According to one embodiment, the access terminalidentifier and relay identifier are separate identifiers. According toanother embodiment the relay station identifier and/or an accessterminal identifier are part of the destination identifier, for examplethe TEID.

While the preparation module 902 and processing 904 can operate upon abase station or relay, it is possible for other configurations, such asthe processing module 904 functioning upon a relay. A counting module1102 can be used that determines a number of relay transfers the packetshould experience to reach an intended destination (e.g., indicated bythe destination identifier)—in one example, this can occur throughanalysis of the header (e.g., in compressed format, uncompressed format,etc.). An inspection module 1104 can be used that investigates arelationship of a relay cluster regarding relay-to-relay relationshipsand access terminal relationships. Based upon a result of the inspectionmodule 1104, a resolution module 1106 can conclude a manner to reach theintended destination (e.g., identify a path, determine where next tosend a packet, etc.). In one implementation, the concluded manner caninclude a number of stops along a relay cluster to reach the intendeddestination. A transmitter 1108 can be employed that transfers thepacket to an intended destination.

It is to be appreciated that artificial intelligence techniques can beused to practice determinations and inferences disclosed herein. Thesetechniques employ one of numerous methodologies for learning from dataand then drawing inferences and/or making determinations related todynamically storing information across multiple storage units (e.g.,Hidden Markov Models (HMMs) and related prototypical dependency models,more general probabilistic graphical models, such as Bayesian networks,e.g., created by structure search using a Bayesian model score orapproximation, linear classifiers, such as support vector machines(SVMs), non-linear classifiers, such as methods referred to as “neuralnetwork” methodologies, fuzzy logic methodologies, and other approachesthat perform data fusion, etc.) in accordance with implementing variousautomated aspects described herein. These techniques can also includemethods for capture of logical relationships such as theorem provers ormore heuristic rule-based expert systems. These techniques can berepresented as an externally pluggable module, in some cases designed bya disparate (third) party.

Referring to FIG. 12, an example methodology 1200 is disclosed fortransferring a message, commonly along at least a portion of a relaycluster. Identification can occur at 1202 that there should betransmission of a message, such as from a base station to an accessterminal. The message can be evaluated along with a communicationnetwork and a determination can be made at 1204 on if the messagetravels along a relay to reach an intended destination. If there is norelay, then the message can be directly transferred to the intendeddestination at 1206 (e.g., without compression, with at least somecompression, etc.).

However, if there is a relay along the path, then the packet header canbe analyzed at 1208. Then relays on the path can be identified at 1210and a determination can be made on how many relays are used on the pathat 1212. At 1214, a check can occur on if there is one relay or morethan one relay used, thus determining a classification number (e.g., aclassification of relays, such as one, more than one, etc.). If thereare more than two transfers, then header compression can occur at 1216where destination information is accessible without decompression. Sincethere is more than one relay, an intermediary relay (a relay nottransferring a message to the intended destination) does not need tofully decompress the header, but just detects the intended destinationand forward to an appropriate relay. If 1214 determines that there isone relay, then at 1218 there can be header compression that alsocompresses destination information. For example the destinationinformation can not be included. Regardless of the outcome of 1214, 1216and 1218 can follow with transmission of the packet at 1220 (e.g., witha fully compressed header, a partially compressed header, uncompressedheader, etc.).

The methodology 1200 can be practiced upon a base station as well as arelay. When functioning as a base station, the identification made at1202 can be a request from a mobile device. The base station can obtainrequested information, generate a message, and transfer the message tothe mobile device. If the methodology 1200 functions upon the relay, thedetermination at 1204 can check if there are relays at further pointsalong the path (e.g., the message experiences relays, but the relayfunctioning is a last relay before an access terminal).

Referring now to FIG. 13, an example methodology 1300 is disclosed forproducing a header for a packet based upon a number of relay transfersfor the packet to reach an intended destination. An intended destinationcan be identified at 1302 and a header for the packet can be created at1304. The created header can be populated with information, includingintended destination identification, source identification, trafficclass, and the like. A relay cluster associated with a base station canbe evaluated at 1306, as well as investigation of an entirecommunication network (e.g., an associated base station, accessterminals, mobile devices capable of functioning as a relay, etc.).Based upon the investigation, a determination can be made at 1308 on howto reach the intended destination (e.g., which relays can be used tosuccessfully reach the intended destination).

A number of relay transfers to perform can be determined at 1310 andbased upon the determination, compression can be performed upon at leasta portion of the header at 1312. Which portion is compressed can dependon a number of relays used in the transfer as discussed in relation toaspects disclosed herein. The header can be evaluated at 1314 and adetermination can be made on which relay the packet should transfer toat 1316. The packet can transfer to the relay at 1318 and anacknowledgement can be collected.

Now referring to FIG. 14, an example system 1400 is disclosed forprocessing a packet at a relay. A packet can be collected at 1402 and anevaluation of a header for the packet can be performed at 1404. Theevaluation can include determining a source of the packet header, astream or radio bearer upon which the header should travel an intendeddestination of the packet, and the like. At 1406, a check can take placedetermining if the relay is a next to last stop (e.g., a final relaybefore reaching an access terminal).

If the relay is not the next to last stop, then a determination can bemade at 1408 on where to forward the packet (e.g., to a next relay). Inone implementation, there can be analysis of a communication network toidentify a next relay. For example, it can be known that two transfersshould occur, but a second relay is not selected until the first relayis reached. The second relay can be selected based upon various factors(e.g., load balancing, interference, etc.). The determination can bemade by decompressing the evaluated header as well as reading the headerfor intended destination information without decompressing an identifierof the header—the packet can be transferred to a next relay at 1410.

However, if the relay is the last stop before a final stop (e.g., anaccess terminal, user equipment, etc.), then there can be decompressionof the header at 1412. An intended location of the packet can beidentifier at 1414 and the packet can be forwarded to the intendeddestination at 1416. In one implementation, an acknowledgement can bereceived by the relay that the packet successfully arrives and thepacket can be forwarded to a packet source.

Referring to FIGS. 12-14, methodologies are shown relating to use of arelay in information communication. For purposes of simplicity ofexplanation, the methodologies are shown and described as a series ofacts, however, it should be understood and appreciated that themethodologies are not limited by the order of acts, as some acts can, inaccordance with one or more embodiments, occur in different ordersand/or concurrently with other acts from that shown and describedherein. For example, those skilled in the art will understand andappreciate that a methodology could alternatively be represented as aseries of interrelated states or events, such as in a state diagram.Moreover, not all illustrated acts can be required to implement amethodology in accordance with one or more embodiments.

It will be appreciated that, in accordance with one or more aspectsdescribed herein, inferences can be made regarding if a relay should beemployed, if compression should occur, etc. As used herein, the term to“infer” or “inference” refers generally to the process of reasoningabout or inferring states of the system, environment, and/or user from aset of observations as captured via events and/or data. Inference can beemployed to identify a specific context or action, or can generate aprobability distribution over states, for example. The inference can beprobabilistic—that is, the computation of a probability distributionover states of interest based on a consideration of data and events.Inference can also refer to techniques employed for composinghigher-level events from a set of events and/or data. Such inferenceresults in the construction of new events or actions from a set ofobserved events and/or stored event data, whether or not the events arecorrelated in close temporal proximity, and whether the events and datacome from one or several event and data sources.

According to an example, one or more methods presented above can includemaking inferences pertaining to selecting a manner for compression of apacket header. By way of further illustration, an inference can be maderelated to processing a relay, selecting a destination identifier, etc.It will be appreciated that the foregoing examples are illustrative innature and are not intended to limit the number of inferences that canbe made or the manner in which such inferences are made in conjunctionwith the various embodiments and/or methods described herein.

FIG. 15 is an illustration of a mobile device 1500 (e.g., that canfunction as a relay) that facilitates use of a relay in informationcommunication—while aspects are shown functioning in a mobile device1500, it is to be appreciated they can implement in other aspects.Mobile device 1500 comprises a receiver 1502 that receives a signalfrom, for instance, a receive antenna (not shown), and performs typicalactions thereon (e.g., filters, amplifies, downconverts, etc.) thereceived signal and digitizes the conditioned signal to obtain samples.Receiver 1502 can be, for example, an MMSE receiver, and can comprise ademodulator 1504 that can demodulate received symbols and provide themto a processor 1506 for channel estimation. Processor 1506 can be aprocessor dedicated to analyzing information received by receiver 1502and/or generating information for transmission by a transmitter 1516, aprocessor that controls one or more components of mobile device 1500,and/or a processor that both analyzes information received by receiver1502, generates information for transmission by transmitter 1516, andcontrols one or more components of mobile device 1500.

Mobile device 1500 can additionally comprise memory 1508 that isoperatively coupled to processor 1506 and that can store data to betransmitted, received data, information related to available channels,data associated with analyzed signal and/or interference strength,information related to an assigned channel, power, rate, or the like,and any other suitable information for estimating a channel andcommunicating via the channel. Memory 1508 can additionally storeprotocols and/or algorithms associated with estimating and/or utilizinga channel (e.g., performance based, capacity based, etc.).

It will be appreciated that the data store (e.g., memory 1508) describedherein can be either volatile memory or nonvolatile memory, or caninclude both volatile and nonvolatile memory. By way of illustration,and not limitation, nonvolatile memory can include read only memory(ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), electrically programmable ROM (EPROM),electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM), or flash memory. Volatile memorycan include random access memory (RAM), which acts as external cachememory. By way of illustration and not limitation, RAM is available inmany forms such as synchronous RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM),synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhancedSDRAM (ESDRAM), Synchlink DRAM (SLDRAM), and direct Rambus RAM (DRRAM).The memory 1508 of the subject systems and methods is intended tocomprise, without being limited to, these and any other suitable typesof memory.

Processor 1502 is further operatively coupled an analysis module 1510and/or a locator 1512. An analysis module 1510 can evaluate a packetheader portion that comprises a destination identifier. Moreover, thelocator 1512 can determine an intended relay for the packet based on atleast a portion of the destination identifier. Mobile device 1500 stillfurther comprises a modulator 1514 and a transmitter 1516 that transmitsa signal (e.g., base CQI and differential CQI) to, for instance, a basestation, another mobile device, etc. Although depicted as being separatefrom the processor 1506, it is to be appreciated that analysis module1510 and/or locator 1512 can be part of processor 1506 or a number ofprocessors (not shown).

FIG. 16 is an illustration of a system 1600 that facilitates compressinga packet header based upon an expected relay experience. System 1600comprises a base station 1602 (e.g., that can function as a relay) witha receiver 1610 that receives signal(s) from one or more mobile devices1604 through a plurality of receive antennas 1606, and a transmitter1622 that transmits to the one or more mobile devices 1604 through aplurality of transmit antennas 1608. Receiver 1610 can receiveinformation from receive antennas 1606 and is operatively associatedwith a demodulator 1612 that demodulates received information.Demodulated symbols are analyzed by a processor 1614 that can be similarto the processor described above with regard to FIG. 15, and which iscoupled to a memory 1616 that stores information related to estimating asignal (e.g., pilot) strength and/or interference strength, data to betransmitted to or received from mobile device(s) 1604 (or a disparatebase station (not shown)), and/or any other suitable information relatedto performing the various actions and functions set forth herein.

Processor 1614 is further coupled to an evaluation module 1618 thatidentifying that header compression should occur. The processor can alsobe operatively coupled to a selection module 1620 that determines amanner for compression based upon a number of relay transfers for packetcommunication to an intended destination. Information to be transmittedcan be provided to a modulator 1622. Modulator 1622 can multiplex theinformation for transmission by a transmitter 1624 through antenna 1608to mobile device(s) 1604. Although depicted as being separate from theprocessor 1614, it is to be appreciated that evaluation module 1618and/or selection module 1620 can be part of processor 1614 or a numberof processors (not shown).

FIG. 17 shows an example wireless communication system 1700. Thewireless communication system 1700 depicts one base station 1710 and onemobile device 1750 for sake of brevity. However, it is to be appreciatedthat system 1700 can include more than one base station and/or more thanone mobile device, wherein additional base stations and/or mobiledevices can be substantially similar or different from example basestation 1710 and mobile device 1750 described below. In addition, it isto be appreciated that base station 1710 and/or mobile device 1750 canemploy the systems (FIGS. 1-2, 8-11 and 15-16) and/or methods (FIGS.12-14) described herein to facilitate wireless communication therebetween.

At base station 1710, traffic data for a number of data streams isprovided from a data source 1712 to a transmit (TX) data processor 1714.According to an example, each data stream can be transmitted over arespective antenna. TX data processor 1714 formats, codes, andinterleaves the traffic data stream based on a particular coding schemeselected for that data stream to provide coded data.

The coded data for each data stream can be multiplexed with pilot datausing orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) techniques.Additionally or alternatively, the pilot symbols can be frequencydivision multiplexed (FDM), time division multiplexed (TDM), or codedivision multiplexed (CDM). The pilot data is typically a known datapattern that is processed in a known manner and can be used at mobiledevice 1750 to estimate channel response. The multiplexed pilot andcoded data for each data stream can be modulated (e.g., symbol mapped)based on a particular modulation scheme (e.g., binary phase-shift keying(BPSK), quadrature phase-shift keying (QPSK), M-phase-shift keying(M-PSK), M-quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM), etc.) selected forthat data stream to provide modulation symbols. The data rate, coding,and modulation for each data stream can be determined by instructionsperformed or provided by processor 1730.

The modulation symbols for the data streams can be provided to a TX MIMOprocessor 1720, which can further process the modulation symbols (e.g.,for OFDM). TX MIMO processor 1720 then provides N_(T) modulation symbolstreams to N_(T) transmitters (TMTR) 1722 a through 1722 t. In variousembodiments, TX MIMO processor 1720 applies beamforming weights to thesymbols of the data streams and to the antenna from which the symbol isbeing transmitted.

Each transmitter 1722 receives and processes a respective symbol streamto provide one or more analog signals, and further conditions (e.g.amplifies, filters, and upconverts) the analog signals to provide amodulated signal suitable for transmission over the MIMO channel.Further, N_(T) modulated signals from transmitters 1722 a through 1722 tare transmitted from N_(T) antennas 1724 a through 1724 t, respectively.

At mobile device 1750, the transmitted modulated signals are received byN_(R) antennas 1752 a through 1752 r and the received signal from eachantenna 1752 is provided to a respective receiver (RCVR) 1754 a through1754 r. Each receiver 1754 conditions (e.g., filters, amplifies, anddownconverts) a respective signal, digitizes the conditioned signal toprovide samples, and further processes the samples to provide acorresponding “received” symbol stream.

An RX data processor 1760 can receive and process the N_(R) receivedsymbol streams from N_(R) receivers 1754 based on a particular receiverprocessing technique to provide N_(T) “detected” symbol streams. RX dataprocessor 1760 can demodulate, deinterleave, and decode each detectedsymbol stream to recover the traffic data for the data stream. Theprocessing by RX data processor 1760 is complementary to that performedby TX MIMO processor 1720 and TX data processor 1714 at base station1710.

A processor 1770 can periodically determine which preceding matrix toutilize as discussed above. Further, processor 1770 can formulate areverse link message comprising a matrix index portion and a rank valueportion.

The reverse link message can comprise various types of informationregarding the communication link and/or the received data stream. Thereverse link message can be processed by a TX data processor 1738, whichalso receives traffic data for a number of data streams from a datasource 1736, modulated by a modulator 1780, conditioned by transmitters1754 a through 1754 r, and transmitted back to base station 1710.

At base station 1710, the modulated signals from mobile device 1750 arereceived by antennas 1724, conditioned by receivers 1722, demodulated bya demodulator 1740, and processed by a RX data processor 1742 to extractthe reverse link message transmitted by mobile device 1750. Further,processor 1730 can process the extracted message to determine whichpreceding matrix to use for determining the beamforming weights.

Processors 1730 and 1770 can direct (e.g., control, coordinate, manage,etc.) operation at base station 1710 and mobile device 1750,respectively. Respective processors 1730 and 1770 can be associated withmemory 1732 and 1772 that store program codes and data. Processors 1730and 1770 can also perform computations to derive frequency and impulseresponse estimates for the uplink and downlink, respectively. While notshown, the communication system 1700 can include a relay thatfacilitates communication between the base station 1710 and the mobiledevice 1750.

It is to be understood that the embodiments described herein can beimplemented in hardware, software, firmware, middleware, microcode, orany combination thereof. For a hardware implementation, the processingunits can be implemented within one or more application specificintegrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digitalsignal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs),field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), processors, controllers,micro-controllers, microprocessors, other electronic units designed toperform the functions described herein, or a combination thereof.

When the embodiments are implemented in software, firmware, middlewareor microcode, program code or code segments, they can be stored in amachine-readable medium, such as a storage component. A code segment canrepresent a procedure, a function, a subprogram, a program, a routine, asubroutine, a module, a software package, a class, or any combination ofinstructions, data structures, or program statements. A code segment canbe coupled to another code segment or a hardware circuit by passingand/or receiving information, data, arguments, parameters, or memorycontents. Information, arguments, parameters, data, etc. can be passed,forwarded, or transmitted using any suitable means including memorysharing, message passing, token passing, network transmission, etc.

For a software implementation, the techniques described herein can beimplemented with modules (e.g., procedures, functions, and so on) thatperform the functions described herein. The software codes can be storedin memory units and executed by processors. The memory unit can beimplemented within the processor or external to the processor, in whichcase it can be communicatively coupled to the processor via variousmeans as is known in the art.

With reference to FIG. 18, illustrated is a system 1800 that effectuatespacket header processing. For example, system 1800 can reside at leastpartially within a mobile device. It is to be appreciated that system1800 is represented as including functional blocks, which can befunctional blocks that represent functions implemented by a processor,software, or combination thereof (e.g., firmware). System 1800 includesa logical grouping 1802 of electrical components that can act inconjunction. For instance, logical grouping 1802 can include electricalcomponent for identifying that header compression should occur 1804.Moreover, the logical grouping 1802 can include electrical component fordetermining a manner of compression for the packet (e.g., the manner isbased upon a number of relay transfers for the packet to reach anintended destination) 1806. Additionally, system 1800 can include amemory 1808 that retains instructions for executing functions associatedwith electrical components 1804 and 1806. While shown as being externalto memory 1808, it is to be understood that one or more of electricalcomponents 1804 and 1806 can exist within memory 1808.

Turning to FIG. 19, illustrated is a system 1900 that processes a packetrelating to relays. System 1900 can reside within a base station, forinstance. As depicted, system 1900 includes functional blocks that canrepresent functions implemented by a processor, software, or combinationthereof (e.g., firmware). System 1900 includes a logical grouping 1902of electrical components that facilitate controlling forward linktransmission. Logical grouping 1902 can include electrical component forevaluating a packet header portion that comprises a destinationidentifier 1904. Moreover, logical grouping 1902 can include electricalcomponent for determining an intended relay for the packet based on atleast a portion of the destination identifier 1906. Additionally, system1900 can include a memory 1908 that retains instructions for executingfunctions associated with electrical components 1904 and 1906. Whileshown as being external to memory 1908, it is to be understood thatelectrical components 1904 and 1906 can exist within memory 1908.

The various illustrative logics, logical blocks, modules, and circuitsdescribed in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein can beimplemented or performed with a general purpose processor, a digitalsignal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit(ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmablelogic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardwarecomponents, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functionsdescribed herein. A general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor,but, in the alternative, the processor can be any conventionalprocessor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processorcan also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., acombination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality ofmicroprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSPcore, or any other such configuration. Additionally, at least oneprocessor can comprise one or more modules operable to perform one ormore of the steps and/or actions described above.

Further, the steps and/or actions of a method or algorithm described inconnection with the aspects disclosed herein can be embodied directly inhardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in acombination of the two. A software module can reside in RAM memory,flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, a harddisk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage mediumknown in the art. An exemplary storage medium can be coupled to theprocessor, such that the processor can read information from, and writeinformation to, the storage medium. In the alternative, the storagemedium can be integral to the processor. Further, in some aspects, theprocessor and the storage medium can reside in an ASIC. Additionally,the ASIC can reside in a user terminal. In the alternative, theprocessor and the storage medium can reside as discrete components in auser terminal. Additionally, in some aspects, the steps and/or actionsof a method or algorithm can reside as one or any combination or set ofcodes and/or instructions on a machine readable medium and/or computerreadable medium, which can be incorporated into a computer programproduct.

In one or more aspects, the functions described can be implemented inhardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implementedin software, the functions can be stored or transmitted as one or moreinstructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readablemedia includes both computer storage media and communication mediaincluding any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer programfrom one place to another. A storage medium can be any available mediathat can be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and notlimitation, such computer-readable media can comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM,CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or othermagnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carryor store desired program code in the form of instructions or datastructures and that can be accessed by a computer. Also, any connectioncan be termed a computer-readable medium. For example, if software istransmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using acoaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line(DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave,then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, orwireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave areincluded in the definition of medium. Disk and disc, as used herein,includes compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatiledisc (DVD), floppy disk and blu-ray disc where disks usually reproducedata magnetically, while discs usually reproduce data optically withlasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within thescope of computer-readable media.

What has been described above includes examples of one or moreembodiments. It is, of course, not possible to describe everyconceivable combination of components or methodologies for purposes ofdescribing the aforementioned embodiments, but one of ordinary skill inthe art can recognize that many further combinations and permutations ofvarious embodiments are possible. Accordingly, the described embodimentsare intended to embrace all such alterations, modifications andvariations that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.Furthermore, to the extent that the term “includes” is used in eitherthe detailed description or the claims, such term is intended to beinclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising” as “comprising”is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim.

While the foregoing disclosure discusses illustrative aspects and/orembodiments, it should be noted that various changes and modificationscould be made herein without departing from the scope of the describedaspects and/or embodiments as defined by the appended claims.Furthermore, although elements of the described aspects and/orembodiments can be described or claimed in the singular, the plural iscontemplated unless limitation to the singular is explicitly stated.Additionally, all or a portion of any aspect and/or embodiment can beutilized with all or a portion of any other aspect and/or embodiment,unless stated otherwise.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for managing compression of a header ofa packet executable upon a wireless communication device, comprising:identifying whether header compression should occur for the packet basedupon a number of relay transfers for the packet to reach an intendeddestination; and determining a manner of compression for the packet,wherein the manner is based upon the identification whether headercompression should occur and the number of relay transfers for thepacket to reach the intended destination, wherein the determined manneris such that destination identification is accessible without performingdecompression of at least a portion of the header if it is determinedthat there is more than one relay transfer for the packet to reach theintended destination.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprisingcompressing the header, wherein compression occurs in accordance withthe determined manner.
 3. The method of claim 2, further comprisingdetermining the number of relay transfers for the packet to reach theintended destination.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the determinedmanner is such that routing or transfer information is not included inthe compressed header if it is determined there is one relay transferfor the packet to reach the intended destination.
 5. The method of claim3, wherein determining a number of relay transfers for a packet furthercomprises: determining the intended destination based upon the header ofthe packet; and determining whether more than one relay transfer isrequired to reach the intended destination.
 6. The method of claim 5,wherein determining the intended destination based upon the header ofthe packet further comprises determining a relay serving an accessterminal that is the intended destination based upon the header of thepacket.
 7. The method of claim 2, a portion of the header that iscompressed being an Internet Protocol header.
 8. An apparatus,comprising: an evaluation module that identifies whether headercompression should occur for a packet based upon a number of relaytransfers for the packet to reach an intended destination; and aselection module that determines a manner of compression for the packet,wherein the manner is based upon the identification whether headercompression should occur and the number of relay transfers for thepacket to reach the intended destination, wherein the determined manneris such that destination identification is accessible without performingdecompression of at least a portion of the header if it is determinedthat there is more than one relay transfer for the packet to reach theintended destination.
 9. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising anencoding module that compresses the header, wherein compression occursin accordance with the determined manner.
 10. The apparatus of claim 9,further comprising a calculation module that determines the number ofrelay transfers for the packet to reach the intended destination. 11.The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the determined manner is such thatrouting or transfer information is not included in the compressed headerif it is determined there is one relay transfer for the packet to reachthe intended destination.
 12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein thecalculation module further comprises: a read module that determines theintended destination based upon the header of the packet; and a balancemodule that determines whether more than one relay transfer is requiredto reach the intended destination.
 13. The apparatus of claim 12,wherein the read module further comprises an examination module thatdetermines a relay serving an access terminal that is the intendeddestination based upon the header of the packet.
 14. The apparatus ofclaim 9, a portion of the header that is compressed being an InternetProtocol header.
 15. At least one processor configured to managecompression of a header of a packet, comprising: a first module foridentifying whether header compression should occur for the packet basedupon a number of relay transfers for the packet to reach an intendeddestination; and a second module for determining a manner of compressionfor the packet, wherein the manner is based upon the identificationwhether header compression should occur and the number of relaytransfers for the packet to reach the intended destination, wherein thedetermined manner is such that destination identification is accessiblewithout performing decompression of at least a portion of the header ifit is determined that there is more than one relay transfer for thepacket to reach the intended destination.
 16. A computer programproduct, comprising: a non-transitory computer-readable mediumcomprising: a first set of codes for causing a computer to identifywhether header compression should occur for a packet based upon a numberof relay transfers for the packet to reach an intended destination; anda second set of codes for causing the computer to determine a manner ofcompression for the packet, wherein the manner is based upon theidentification whether header compression should occur and the number ofrelay transfers for the packet to reach the intended destination,wherein the determined manner is such that destination identification isaccessible without performing decompression of at least a portion of theheader if it is determined that there is more than one relay transferfor the packet to reach the intended destination.
 17. An apparatus,comprising: means for identifying whether header compression shouldoccur for a packet based upon a number of relay transfers for the packetto reach an intended destination; and means for determining a manner ofcompression for the packet, wherein the manner is based upon theidentification whether header compression should occur and the number ofrelay transfers for the packet to reach the intended destination,wherein the determined manner is such that destination identification isaccessible without performing decompression of at least a portion of theheader if it is determined that there is more than one relay transferfor the packet to reach the intended destination.
 18. A method forprocessing a packet executable upon a wireless communication device,comprising: evaluating a packet header portion that includes adestination identifier, wherein the packet header portion is compressedbased on a number of relay transfers between a source and an intendeddestination for the packet; and determining an intended relay or theintended destination for the packet based on at least a portion of thedestination identifier, wherein the destination identifier is accessiblewithout performing decompression of at least a portion of the header ifthere is more than one relay transfer for the packet to reach theintended destination.
 19. The method of claim 18, wherein thedestination identifier indicates a desired Quality of Service for thepacket.
 20. The method of claim 19, further comprising transferring thepacket to the intended destination, wherein said transfer to theintended destination occurs on a stream indicated by the desired Qualityof Service for the packet.
 21. The method of claim 18, the destinationidentifier being a tunnel endpoint identifier.
 22. The method of claim18, wherein the destination identifier includes a relay stationidentifier.
 23. The method of claim 18, wherein the destinationidentifier includes an access terminal identifier for an accessterminal.
 24. The method of claim 23, the access terminal identifierbeing unique to the access terminal in a relay cluster.
 25. The methodof claim 23, further comprising determining a number of relay transfersthe packet should experience to reach the intended destination, whereinthe access terminal identifier indicates the intended destination. 26.The method of claim 23, wherein the destination identifier includes anaccess terminal identifier and a relay identifier with the accessterminal identifier and the relay identifier being separate identifiers.27. An apparatus, comprising: an analysis module to evaluate a packetheader portion that comprises a destination identifier, wherein thepacket header portion is compressed based on a number of relay transfersbetween a source and an intended destination for the packet; and alocation module to determine an intended relay or the intendeddestination for the packet based on at least a portion of thedestination identifier, wherein the destination identifier is accessiblewithout performing decompression of at least a portion of the header ifthere is more than one relay transfer for the packet to reach theintended destination.
 28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein thedestination identifier indicates a desired Quality of Service for thepacket.
 29. The apparatus of claim 28, further comprising a transmitterthat transfers the packet to the intended destination, the transfer tothe intended destination occurring on a stream indicated by the desiredQuality of Service for the packet.
 30. The apparatus of claim 27, thedestination identifier being a tunnel endpoint identifier.
 31. Theapparatus of claim 27, wherein the destination identifier includes arelay station identifier.
 32. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein thedestination identifier includes an access terminal identifier for anaccess terminal.
 33. The apparatus of claim 32, the access terminalidentifier being unique to the access terminal in a relay cluster. 34.The apparatus of claim 32, further comprising a counting module thatdetermines a number of relay transfers the packet should experience toreach the intended destination, wherein the access terminal identifierindicates the intended destination.
 35. The apparatus of claim 32,wherein the destination identifier includes the access terminalidentifier and a relay identifier with the access terminal identifierand the relay identifier being separate identifiers.
 36. At least oneprocessor configured to process a packet, comprising: a first module forevaluating a packet header portion that comprises a destinationidentifier, wherein the packet header portion is compressed based on anumber of relay transfers between a source and an intended destinationfor the packet; and a second module for determining an intended relay orthe intended destination for the packet based on at least a portion ofthe destination identifier, wherein the destination identifier isaccessible without performing decompression of at least a portion of theheader if there is more than one relay transfer for the packet to reachthe intended destination.
 37. A computer program product, comprising: anon-transitory computer-readable medium comprising: a first set of codesfor causing a computer to evaluate a packet header portion that includesa destination identifier, wherein the packet header portion iscompressed based on a number of relay transfers between a source and anintended destination for the packet; and a second set of codes forcausing the computer to determine an intended relay or the intendeddestination for the packet based on at least a portion of thedestination identifier, wherein the destination identifier is accessiblewithout performing decompression of at least a portion of the header ifthere is more than one relay transfer for the packet to reach theintended destination.
 38. An apparatus, comprising: means for evaluatinga packet header portion that includes a destination identifier, whereinthe packet header portion is compressed based on a number of relaytransfers between a source and an intended destination for the packet;and means for determining an intended relay or the intended destinationfor the packet based on at least a portion of the destinationidentifier, wherein the destination identifier is accessible withoutperforming decompression of at least a portion of the header if there ismore than one relay transfer for the packet to reach the intendeddestination.
 39. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising means forcompressing a header, wherein compression occurs in accordance with thedetermined manner.
 40. The apparatus of claim 39, further comprisingmeans for determining the number of relay transfers for the packet toreach the intended destination.
 41. The apparatus of claim 40, whereinthe determined manner is such that routing or transfer information isnot included in the compressed header if it is determined there is onerelay transfer for the packet to reach the intended destination.
 42. Theapparatus of claim 40, wherein the means for determining a number ofrelay transfers for a packet further comprises: means for determiningthe intended destination based upon the header of the packet; and meansfor determining whether more than one relay transfer is required toreach the intended destination.
 43. The apparatus of claim 42, whereinthe means for determining the intended destination based upon the headerof the packet further comprises means for determining a relay serving anaccess terminal that is the intended destination based upon the headerof the packet.
 44. The apparatus of claim 39, a portion of the headerthat is compressed being an Internet Protocol header.
 45. The apparatusof claim 38, wherein the destination identifier indicates a desiredQuality of Service for the packet.
 46. The apparatus of claim 45,further comprising means for transferring the packet to the intendeddestination, wherein said transfer to the intended destination occurs ona stream indicated by the desired Quality of Service for the packet. 47.The apparatus of claim 38, the destination identifier being a tunnelendpoint identifier.
 48. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein thedestination identifier includes a relay station identifier.
 49. Theapparatus of claim 38, wherein the destination identifier includes anaccess terminal identifier for an access terminal.
 50. The apparatus ofclaim 49, the access terminal identifier being unique to the accessterminal in a relay cluster.
 51. The apparatus of claim 49, furthercomprising means for determining a number of relay transfers the packetshould experience to reach the intended destination, wherein the accessterminal identifier indicates the intended destination.
 52. Theapparatus of claim 49, wherein the destination identifier includes anaccess terminal identifier and a relay identifier with the accessterminal identifier and the relay identifier being separate identifiers.